Dr. Donnica: Overactive bladder, or OAB, is an embarrassing,
disruptive, chronic medical condition that affects 17 million people in the
U.S., including nearly one of every five adults over the age of 45. It is marked
by symptoms of urinary frequency or urinating more than eight times in a 24-hour
period, including two or more times a night. Other symptoms include urinary
urgency, a strong and sudden need to urinate, and urge incontinence, the accidental
loss of urine caused by a sudden and unstoppable urge to urinate. Many people
with overactive bladder mistakenly believe that the condition is an unavoidable
part of aging that they must learn to live with. As a result, many patients
suffer in silence without seeking help.